O'Toole's Public House — Restaurant in Grand Rapids

As someone who’s originally from the Grand Rapids area but has since moved away, I was really excited to visit one of my old favorite spots. But after this recent visit, I have to say, I left feeling very disappointed. It’s clear things have changed, and not for the better. First off, the lighting was ridiculously bright. What kind of restaurant, especially a bar, keeps their lights on that high? It completely ruined the vibe. I understand wanting good visibility, but the overly harsh lighting made it feel more like a cafeteria than a fun bar. Then, the music was either non-existent or just painfully low. When you could hear it, you probably wished you couldn’t. A bar is supposed to have an atmosphere that’s elevated by music, but here, it just felt off and honestly sounded like something you'd hear in an elderly home, not a place meant for a lively night out. I’m not sure what happened to the great playlists from the past.. Across the street, the Anchor Bar had a way longer line than O’Toole’s – a bad sign. I can’t help but wonder if the owners or management have lost touch with what their customers expect when they come to a place like O’Toole’s. People are looking for a certain vibe, and unfortunately, it seems like that vibe is slipping away. That said, the drinks are still affordable, so at least they’ve got that going for them—unless they decide to mess that up too, which wouldn't be surprising at this point. The only thing that kept the experience from being a complete disappointment was our server, Olivia. She was amazing. Her service was impeccable, and she made us feel like good friends rather than just another table. It’s rare to come across such great service these days, and it really made a difference in our experience. Honestly, I hope she’s recognized for how well she handled herself in what seemed like a difficult environment. All in all, great service but a seriously disappointing atmosphere. I really hope someone takes a hard look at what’s happening here because this place used to be great. Right now, it feels like the business is on the brink of losing what made it a local favorite. Here’s hoping they can get it back on track before...

I typically never leave reviews for places, but O’Toole’s deserves a 1-star review. This place has been the place to hang out for many of years, myself included. Always had great service, reasonably priced drinks and good food. But this place has gone down hill. I ordered their nightly special on Wednesday which is the smash burger, and it was horrible, so over cooked and no flavor. The staff and the management that used to operate the bar were always awesome and that’s what made it so fun to visit. The jukebox at O’Toole’s was always cool and had a great selection of music that people would always sign along to! They have since removed it, and switched to playing classic jazz music which you can’t even hear because it’s played so quietly. Never heard classic jazz music being played at an Irish pub… The lighting in the bar is so bright you can hardly stand to be in the place. When you visit now you can clearly tell people do not flock to this place like they used too, as the bar is not nearly as busy. Sad to see a local staple bar completely change the place from what appeared to be a huge hit, and change to a very unimpressive “new bar” after there so called remodel. Not sure the owners of this bar knew there target crowd, or have lost touch, but they are clearly losing the crowd that kept that place busy most every night they were open. Definitely won’t be recommending it to anyone after...

Don’t normally leave reviews but felt the need to share our experience. We tried O’Toole’s for the first time last weekend and fell in love right away. We had incredible service and the food was amazing as well. Loved it so much we came back less than a week later with another couple and was so so disappointed. The food was still incredible but we had absolutely horrible service. The waitress was not friendly at all, forgot half of the drinks we ordered, brought drinks we didn’t ask for, forgot our waters and extra sauces we asked for as well. She rushed us to cash out and then when we didn’t tip very well due to the service we received she came back and said “was my service bad or something because you didn’t hardly tip.” We were all quiet for a second and I finally said, as politely as I could muster, “to be honest, it wasn’t great.” She stormed off and we left very disappointed. I am a server as well so I understand we all have bad days but I also know you can’t give bad service with an attitude and expect a good tip. Really wish we had the same server we’d had the first time we were there because she was great and got the tip she deserved. Great food...